The Runaway Prince
by she's gone RUN
Summary: "You are the laziest bum I have ever had the misfortune to meet." That's what Luka Megurine can say about Prince Gakupo Kamui after he arrives on her doorstep. Little does she know that Gakupo has a reason for staying with her... and it's more dire than she thinks it is.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter the First**

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**A/N: Hello there. Welcome to my new mini-story, The Runaway Prince. This will not be my prioritized story, as I have another, large story, 99 Days of Vocaloid up and running. I recommend that you read it. :D Anyway, that's enough of me talking; it's time for the story.**

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_Cockadoodledoo!_

The sun rose as Luka Megurine threw back her bed cover. Yawning, the pink-haired girl sat up and began to stretch. The rooster's cries continued to echo around the farm as the young woman scratched her head.

"Morning, mittens," she greeted to the tabby cat that was arching its back. It mewled in reply, scrunching up its face as it stretched its limbs. Luka patted it on the head and then entered her bathroom.

It wasn't a very large, luxurious bathroom; just a sink, a toilet, a mirror, a bucket, a small pail, and a shower curtain. Tiles that were a paler pink than Luka's hair were aligned around the room. Luka yawned again and began brushing her teeth.

Luka rubbed her eyes as she stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair was quite unruly at the time, but she would be able to tame it and tie it into a ponytail after a good, cold shower. She lowered her head and brought the water to her lips, and then spit out everything. She made a toothy grin in the mirror, though happiness wasn't something she was feeling at the time.

Her fingers did the work and she unbuttoned her pajamas. After she had been fully undressed, she climbed into the shower (It was considered a shower, even though the shower pipe had been rusted shut for several years) and turned the tap. The cool water flowed from the rusty spout and into the large bucket, where the pail bobbed along the surface.

Soon enough, the pail was almost filled to the brim with water. Luka quickly turned the handle and shut the water off. She dipped her right hand into the water so as to feel its temperature. It was cool, but not too cold; lukewarm, just how she liked it.

She poured the water onto herself as it flowed down her body. Luka took deep breaths and continued to let the water course through her hair. She washed up slowly, yet thoroughly. Luka never hurried her morning business. As a farmer, she was always patient.

After a while, Luka stepped out of the shower in a towel and dried herself off. No one else lived at her home, so never bothered to lock the door (though she did close it) to the bathroom or change inside it either. She had trained Mittens to avoid peeking.

Soon, the teenager was dressed in a sleeveless, white, cotton shirt and a pair of denim shorts that reached her knees. She pulled her hair back into messy bun. She would buy a bandana, but she felt like it would just collect her sweat and keep it against her forehead, which was the opposite of what she wanted.

Luka petted Mittens on the head. She purred happily.

"I'm going to be harvesting the crops today. They're probably ready now." Mittens didn't nod, but her ears perked up, and Luka knew that she had been listening. She ruffled up Mittens' already matted hair and then made her way outside.

Last night had been quite a storm. Dewdrops were still upon the blades of grass, and the ground was muddy and wet. Luka took her wellingtons from the doorstep and pulled them on. Though she didn't mind mud, it would be very easy to slip and fall into a mud puddle.

Luka trekked towards the fields. Hopefully, her crops would've survived the storm, as they did the previous night. If they didn't, she would have to use another bag of seeds. She couldn't afford losing too much money.

However, once she had reached the plants, it was obvious that they weren't able to withstand the heavy rains and winds. Most of the plants had been uprooted and carried with the wind, and the others were severed stems barely sticking out of the soil. Their leaves were brown.

Luka sighed in frustration. This was the second time in a week. The plants barely survived last night; she should've known that they were going to be blown away. She walked over to the dead growth, her boots squelching in the liquefied mulch, and plucked the stems out of the ground. The rest of the plants were probably a long way from her farm.

These plants were too drenched. She'd have to throw them away. She marched back to the house and was about to throw the plants into the trash can—

_Wait_.

Luka stared at the three stems she had uprooted from her fields. Some doctors or biologists would pay for dead plants… not a lot, but still, a little money was better than none. Besides, Luka wouldn't be paid to throw things into the trash can.

She picked up a small sack and put the dead stems inside it. Smiling in satisfaction, she put the dead stems beside the doorway. When she went to the marketplace, she could look for a medic and sell the brown plants to them.

Since harvesting had been checked off her list, she still had a few other things to do. She racked her brain for her list of daily errands.

Ah, yes. 'Tend to the animals' was also a duty of hers. She wiped away the sweat that had accumulated on her forehead, which had formed from frustration, and trudged towards the barn, which was past a flower-less cherry blossom tree.

It was once a beautiful sight. Luka remembered when she was two and walked over to it, observed it, along with her mother. It hadn't grown blossoms in a long, long time. It was still alive, but was merely made of bark and branches. Luka made her way past it, as she always did every morning, and opened the doors to the barn.

Luka flung open the barn doors. There were several 'baa's, 'moo's, screeches and shuffling noises as the light hit them. Luka was only able to collect a few animals, even with her family's help; so far, she only had three cows, five chickens, and four sheep. Not to mention a couple of fish in the koi pond. But they were pets, and Luka would never think of eating them... even if she did have a craving for tuna.

Luka grabbed her cushioned egg basket from the corner of the room and carefully placed each egg inside. She aligned them against the side of the basket, positioning them to create a spiral pattern in the middle of the basket. She set the basket down where she had picked it up and then proceeded to milk the cows.

Cherry Blossom Farms did not rake in a lot of money at the moment. Luka wasn't able to afford large milking machines or electronic shears or incubators. Not even pesticide. Luka usually did everything manually; she shooed away pests when she could, allowed the chickens to hatch eggs on their own, cut the sheep's wool with rusting clippers, and milked the cows herself.

She kicked a stool towards the left of Jessie, her mother's first calf, and then snatched a metal bucket from the ground. Luka got to work, making sure to keep to a good pace. The sun filtered through the holes in the roof of the old barn and hit certain spots upon the piled hay. Luka continued to milk the mooing cow as she gazed up at the roof.

She needed to get those holes plugged. Why hadn't she noticed this before? Besides, it was already Spring, meaning several showers would affect the barn and its inhabitants.

Luka continued to milk each cow until she was done. It was probably ten o'clock, by the looks of the blazing sun that shone through the ceiling. She still hadn't eaten breakfast. The farm girl took the bucket, which was now filled to the brim with milk, and the basket of eggs. She kicked open the barn door and nodded at her animals, which was a silent farewell.

She trekked back towards the house. Even though Luka did this every day, it was tiring to go by routine. Even on Sundays, Luka had work to do, whether it meant harvesting crops, tending to her livestock, going to the market or fixing broken things. Now she had to buy some plaster so she could close off the holes in the barn's roof.

All Luka had to do now was to bring her wares to the market and sell them to some merchants. Even though Cherry Blossom Farms wasn't a popular farm, a lot of travelling merchants would pay a lot so they could sell imported milk.

Eventually, Luka reached the porch. Her small sack of dead stems were swooped away from the doorway. She held the sack and basket in one hand, and the heavy milk bucket in the other. Breakfast could wait… heck, it could be combined with her lunch if she wanted.

Several girls were practicing their dance steps for the Spring festival, which was coming in a few days. Luka was invited to join, but she was far too busy. Luka didn't have time, even for the most important meal of the day.

She quickly maneuvered herself around the moving females, nearly stepping on a green-haired one's foot, and then dived through the large crowd of customers that were buying items from merchants. Luka scanned the crowd for a dairy-products merchant… and then found that there was a man behind a booth, discussing prices with a lady holding a money pouch. She approached the booth, lining up behind the woman.

"But this is outrageous! Your prices have risen for absolutely no reason!" she cried.

"Actually, it is because I lack milk. Most farmers are selling their cows to butchers nowadays. I have to survive too, you know." The two continued to argue until Luka stepped forward.

"Erm… I'd like to sell some milk?" she muttered. The merchant's eyes widened.

"Just my luck! Thank you, miss… miss…"

"Miss Megurine."

"Yes, Miss Megurine! I will give you thirty gold pieces for that bucket of milk!" Luka couldn't believe her ears. The most she got was fifteen gold pieces for a gallon of milk. This man doubled the usual price. She excitedly handed over the bucket in exchange for a pouch of gold.

"Do come back with more milk! Haha! Now, lady, I'm lowering the prices by ten percent…"

Luka smiled as she pocketed the pouch of coins. She put her basket of eggs into the emptied hand and whistled on her way towards the medicine shop. There was a man standing upon a box with a large shelf filled with assorted medicine.

"All types of medicine here! Cure all that ails you!" Luka made her way towards the chanting man and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me? I would like to sell my dead plants." She showed the medic her stems. He stroked his chin.

"Well, these are nothing on my department, but I can sell these to scientists trying to create organic fertilizers. That's... One bronze piece per plant."

Luka looked at her sack of dead stems. Three bronze pieces weren't a lot, but these were weeds, wilted plants. Why would she expect more? "Here." The medic took her stems and then gave her one silver piece and one bronze piece in return.

Luka only had her eggs to sell. She counted them all as she made her way through the crowd. Suddenly, she was bumped into. Luka stood her ground, but the basket of eggs flew into the air and landed with a splat. Luka turned around to find that a green-haired girl from the dance troop had knocked her over. Her eye twitched impatiently as she opened her mouth to yell.

"What is wrong with you?" she yelled.

"I'm sorry… I wasn't looking where I was going…" she mumbled. However, Luka's anger did not waver.

"I was supposed to sell that! Now, I can't even eat it! Unlike you, with your parents giving you everything you want, I have to work to survive! That was a dozen eggs you just made me waste!" Luka picked up her basket, examined her broken eggs, and then stormed off.

_How dare she? Stupid, pampered, spoiled brat… wasting all of my efforts…_

Once Luka arrived home, she slapped a palm onto her face. She had forgotten to buy plaster for the barn's roof! Now she wouldn't be able to plug the holes… but she'd have to wait for another day.

A storm was beginning to brew. It was probably only four in the afternoon, but even then the storms were heavy. Luka ran inside and shut the door. She quickly closed all the windows and shut up the ceiling vents. Even Mittens seemed to notice what was going on, as she hid under her bed. Luka went into the kitchen to prepare some soup with the vegetables she had saved.

Soon, the rain poured down in buckets. Luka sighed, continuing to stir and add more ingredients into the soup. It was a good thing she didn't plant anything that day.

The sound of knuckles knocking against wood was heard throughout the house. Luka turned to the door. Who would be at her doorstep in the middle of a storm?

Was it the dancer girl's father? What about the medic, who wanted his money back for the dead stems? Maybe it was the dairy merchant, wanting more milk…

However, they wouldn't go to the extent of trudging through a storm just to meet a farmer. What if this was someone more determined?

What if this was a murderer?

Luka left her soup and grabbed a knife from the kitchen drawer. She slowly approached the door and then yanked it open.

A purple-haired man stood at the door. He was quite tall and seemed to be fit. He had well-defined features and a dashing smile. His clothes, though soggy, seemed regal and of importance. The rain continued to fall on the man as Luka readied her knife.

"Who are you?" she demanded, showing him the utensil.

"I am Prince Gakupo Kamui, and I would like to request a favor from you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter the Second**

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**A/N: Thanks to Marshmallow Ninja, The Chosen One, Unyielding Wish, TheSilverWisp and Silkoena for reviewing. I apologize for the super-delayed update.**

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A soggy, damp man with a friendly grin on his face had come to the woman's doorstep in the middle of a storm and told her that he was a prince.

This was probably the weirdest thing anyone had told her in her entire life, including the man that had told her the world was going to end due to rampaging cabbages.

After a long pause, Luka spoke.

"So, you're saying that you're a prince," the farmer said cautiously.

"Indeed," replied the purple-haired stranger. He seemed confident and sincere, and his breath hitched not even once.

"And you're here for...?"

"I wish to stay in an agricultural natured environment to experience that of my citizens." Luka took a while to realize what the man was saying. Eventually, she was able to translate his jargon and respond.

"You're a prince who wants to stay on a farm for experience," Luka finally stated. The strange man nodded promptly. "And you just came here without a public announcement or anything?"

The stranger began to sweat. He wiped away the droplets on his forehead and scratched his temple. "Err... Yes."

With one swift movement, she slapped the so-called prince and whipped out her knife. It glistened as she brandished it, restraining herself from attacking his neck. The stranger's eyes widened, his mouth agape and face pale.

"Tell the truth," she snarled. She jabbed the knife at his neck, but made sure to make no contact. "Do you want my money? My food? I want the truth and nothing but the truth, or I'll murder you on the spot."

"Wha- But this is most rude and disrespectful behavior, especially to the prince of this country!" he still continued on, even though Luka could have run the knife straight through him, "I am telling the utter truth. Those of royal blood never lie."

"Exactly, so go back to where you're _really_ from. Your clothes are dirty and stained; how am I to believe that you are a prince?" Luka's jaw tightened as she continued to threaten the stranger with her weapon. His tone grew paler and paler.

"Please believe me. As you can see, I have the signature violet Kamui family hair..." he cradled a lock of purple hair between his thumb and index finger. The lady raised a brow. "And the Kamui family crest, plated gold." He indicated a badge on the left side of his chest that was made of two crossing katanas and a dragon's face. Luka seemed to be much more impressed by this. However, her satisfaction began to dwindle.

"You could've put pigments into your hair, and stolen the crest from the real Prince Kamui." She readied herself to attack the visitor.

But then he got down onto his knees.

"No, no... Please... Believe me... You seem fair and wise... Allow me to enter your humblr abode." His eyes were full of pleading and concern. Luka's glare faltered as the man took her hand. Suddenly, Luka saw it in him; truth.

"Fine." Luka helped Gakupo Kamui up and allowed him to come inside. She shut the door on the pouring rain as Gakupo made himself at home. He sat down onto the couch, sinking his back into its cushions. He looked like he hadn't been inside for weeks, judging from his expression of sheer relief. Water dripped onto the sofa, dampening it.

"You can sleep there." Luka pointed at the wet couch. Gakupo frowned in disapproval.

"You do not possess a guest room?" he asked. She noticed a tone of superiority and arrogance that threaded through his voice.

"No, I don't," Luka said, urging not to yell, "So, that'll have to do." Gakupo's eyebrows furrowed, and Luka felt a pang of annoyance. What did he expect from her?

"Are you not going to offer me _your_ bed?" he demanded, "I am a prince!" At this point, Luka felt like ushering him into the pouring rain and locking the door, but she wasn't going to be weak and give in to his foolish notions.

"_I'm_ the queen here, and my bed is reserved for me and mittens," Luka insisted as a smirk played up her face. Gakupo grimaced.

"Very well. Since I am a _humble _and _generous _prince—"

"I'm sure you are."

"—I will accept this couch as my sleeping quarters." He made himself comfortable, avoiding the wet stain that he looked ever so distastefully at. Luka smiled, acknowledging her success, and then put both hands on her hips.

"Okay then. I'm cooking, so—"

"Oh!" The youthful Kamui's eyes sparkled in anticipation. "I am famished. I request for a large turkey topped with Matsutake mushrooms and accompanied by Wagyu steak, carefully seasoned with an assortment of spices. Also, I would like it if you'd take the largest pumpkin you have and create a rich, creamy pumpkin soup with it. For dessert, I'd love a crème brûlée made with Jersey milk. Can you do that? Oh, and red wine."

The pink-haired woman knitted her eyebrows at her guest who was lazily lounging on the couch.

"This is a… how do you say it… '_agricultural natured environment_', so you eat what I'm eating. No Wagyone—"

"Wag_yu_."

"—Wag_yu_ steak for you." The prince's look of excitement turned into one of shock and disappointment.

"B-but… b-but…" he uttered in protest, "You live on a farm! With livestock and vegetables and everything!"

"Most of that goes to the merchants so that I can stay alive. Unlike you, my prissy friend, I have to ration. So salad and soup for you." Luka's stomach growled, causing her to pull a face. "I haven't eaten the whole day."

"Salad and soup! No wonder I thought you were anorexic."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Good. Let's keep it that way."

Drops of rain pelted the windows and caused ripples of sound to travel throughout the house. Luka, who was cooking, didn't seem to mind, but her guest did.

"Can you stop that infernal tapping?" he demanded as the rain continued to drum upon the little house, covering his ears in irritation.

"Great idea! I can just tell the storm clouds to shoo because the most spoiled prince in the world wants to laze around in peace. My goodness, deal with it. It's not like your palace is soundproof or anything," she snapped.

"Actually—"

"_Deal with it_."

Gakupo frowned; he wasn't used to being retorted to.

"So, why are you _really _here?" the farmer asked as she tossed around the vegetables for the salad and tended to the soup. She raised a brow at the baffled prince.

"I told you, it was for an inside look on my loyal citizens!" Gakupo insisted.

"I doubt you came here without a little push," Luka said, ignoring Gakupo's pleas.

"I find that highly—My father told me to do it." The farmer laughed at the royal prince. Instead of giving a look of anger or shame, he smiled; but it was a weak smile.

A ginger cat scurried into the living room and hopped onto the couch. It began to dig its claws into the leather sofa cushions. However, to Luka's surprise, Gakupo began to stroke it gently.

"So, this is the 'Mittens' you were talking about?" he asked curiously as the small, furry creature mewled in content.

"Mmmhmm," Luka hummed.

"You have no spouse? You are, in a manner of speaking, a bachelorette?" Luka paused and then laughed at her guest's question. After her laughter died, she answered.

"I was too busy to eat. What makes you think I can get married?"

Gakupo paused. "You are correct. Deepest apologies."

"No offense taken." Once Luka had finished her soup and salad, she set them onto the dining table and took a portion for herself. Gakupo waited, staying on the couch and eyeing the kind soul who agreed to take him in.

"Well?" Luka beckoned the waiting man.

"Aren't you going to serve me?" Gakupo asked innocently. Luka sighed.

"You know you've only been here for half an house and you've already complained… let's see… four times. Mostly about my lifestyle."

"Your point?"

"…You are the laziest bum that I have ever had the misfortune to meet."

"Pleasure."

Eventually, the prince, now slightly dry, trudged to the dining table. He frowned at the small portion that was left for him, and then at the larger amount Luka had gotten.

"This is it?"

"You came on short notice," Luka explained. With a groan, Gakupo poured all the soup he could into his bowl and made sure that every lead was in his salad. He smiled at his meal, though disappointedly, and began to eat.

"So, what will I be doing tomorrow? Is there a lake nearby? Preferably a secluded one?" He only spoke after he had fully swallowed his mouthful.

"No lakes for you," said Luka, "You're going to be working."

Gakupo nearly sprayed his soup all over the table.

"What?" he yelled in protest.

"I'm letting you stay here, remember? You can't just mooch off of me; you need to do some of the work. Unless, of course, you can find another farm willing to take you in."

"But… but… fine."

"'Night." Luka put her finished dinner in the sink. "It's an early day tomorrow." She saluted her guest goodbye and approached her bedroom door.

"Good luck."

"Thanks, but I think _you're _going to need it."

And, with that, she entered her bedroom, Mittens scampering behind her.


End file.
